Loose peanut recovery apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for gathering loose peanuts from the ground during the harvesting of the peanut crop so that a substantial portion of the crop, which previously had been lost, can be recovered. The apparatus includes a sweep assembly for removing peanuts from the ground and transferring the same to a peanut recovery unit which raises the peanuts to a higher elevation and discharges the same into a receptacle.

[ 51 July 25,1972

United States Patent Long 2,974,467 3/1961Long.n..........................,..........56/128 3,053,034 9/1962Harringtonctal.......................56/130 [54] LOOSE PEANUT RECOVERYAPPARATUS [72] inventor: William R. Long, Tarboro, NC. Primary ExaminerRussen R Kinsey Attorney--A. Yates Dowel], Jr.

[73] Assignee: Long Mfg. N.C. Inc., Tarboro, NC.

[22] Filed: Aug. 2, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for gathering loosepeanuts from the ground during [2]] App]. No.:

the harvesting of the peanut crop so that a substantial portion 5 130 135 of the crop, which previously had been lost, can be recovered. 01 4524 The apparatus includes a sweep assembly for removing pe- 56/ 25 130135; anuts from the ground and transferring the same to a peanut 130/30C recovery unit which raises the peanuts to a higher elevation anddischarges the same into a receptacle.

[51] [58] Field 01 Search 14 Claims, 17 Drawing Figures References CitedUNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,727,431 Herr et X Patented July 25, 1972 10Sheets-Sheet 1 R m N E V W WALL/14M R. LONG BY ATTORNEY;

Patented July 25, 1972 3,678,667

10 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W/LZ/AM R. LONG Patented July 25, 19723,678,667

10 Sheets-Sheet 5 J INVENTOR W/LZ MM A. A 0N6 Jzwa, Ju y, 1 4-56 144p qATTORNEYS Patented July 25, 1972 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 9 INVENTOR M13 ATTORNW/ZZ/AM RLOA/G 4. M rd.

Patented July 25, 1972 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 uuuu uu fljadr 120/, r 4. w

ATTORNE Patented July 25, 1972 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR A. .L ONG W/L1 MM ATTORNEYS Patented July 25, 1972 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR W/ZZ/AMKJONG Patented July 25, 1912 3,678,667

10 Sheets-Sheet 8 my I m3 INVENTOR W/L L/AM KLONG' Aral/wk r'4- ATTOR.Z.

Patented July 25, 1972 3,678,667

10 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR WILL/AM R. LONG 7m Mania ATTORNEY 1 most;PEANUT RECOVERY APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of theInvention This application relates generally to harvesting machines ofvarious kinds and relates particularly to apparatus for harvestingpeanuts which have been at least partially dried in the field, as wellas apparatus which will pick up loose peanuts from the earth andtransfer the same into a receptacle for subsequent processing.

2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore many efforts have been madeto harvest agricultural crops of various kinds with a minimum loss ofthe valuable food product being harvested. In the harvesting of peanuts,the problem of saving substantially all of the usable food product hasbeen particularly severe since peanuts entail harvesting problemspeculiar to this one product. Normally when the peanuts are ripe, thevines with peanuts attached are dug from the ground and are left in thefield to dry for a period of from three to ten days, depending uponweather conditions. The peanut vines are left in the field after beingdug to pennit the stems and peanuts to dry so that the peanuts can beseparated from the vines more easily with less damage to the peanuts, aswell as to reduce subsequent artificial drying time. After the peanutshave at least partially dried in the field, a pcanut combine such asthat disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,974,467 and 3,007,475 moves throughthe field, gathers up the peanut vines, separates the peanuts from thevines, discharges the vines back onto the field, cleans the separatedpeanuts, and discharges the same into a hopper or other receptacle. Thevines which are discharged back onto the field normally are plowed underfor their fertilizer value, as well as to make the soil more friable.

During the digging and drying of the vines, a substantial percentage ofthe peanuts become separated from the vines either when the peanuts arepulled from the earth or after the vines have dried and the stems becomebrittle so that the weight of the peanuts will break the stems andpermit the peanuts to fall to the ground. Since the peanut combine picksup only the vines and the peanuts still attached thereto, the loosepeanuts which have fallen onto the ground have been lost. Prime, largekernel peanuts weigh more than other peanuts and such extra weight has atendency to cause the brittle stems to break so that a higher percentageof prime peanuts has been lost in comparison to medium and small kernelpeanuts.

Some efforts have been made to provide apparatus for salvaging loosepeanuts, however, these prior devices have been bulky and inefiicient,have been expensive to produce and maintain, have become jammed easilyso that they did not function properly, have included an excessiveamount of dirt in the material picked up, have failed to harvest peanutsbelow or partially below the surface of the earth, and for other reasonshave not been satisfactory. As an example, the Harrington et al. US.Pat. No. 3,053,034 discloses mechanism for recovering loose peanuts;however, this structure includes an endless belt conveyor onto whichsurface peanuts, dirt, rocks and other debris are swept. Some of thematerial sifts through the upper run of the conveyor and collects on thelower run where it interferes with operation of the conveyor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a loose peanutrecovery apparatus or scavenger which normally is attached to a peanutcombine to pick up loose peanuts from the ground and thereby save avaluable portion of the peanut harvest which heretofore has been lost.The recovery apparatus includes a pickup or sweep unit having aplurality of rows of spring tines or fingers adapted to penetrate theearth for a distance of approximately 1 inch to engage the peanuts onand immediately below the surface of the earth and discharge suchpeanuts onto an endless conveyor. The conveyor has a plurality of spacedreceptacles which collect the peanuts and raise the same to a higherelevation after which the peanuts are discharged therefrom. Asillustrated, the peanuts are discharged from the I receptacles into thethreshing portion of the combine so that the peanuts which were lying onthe ground will be cleaned and discharged into the peanut hopper of thecombine. However, it is contemplated that the peanuts could bedischarged from the receptacles directly into a separate hopper orcontainer.

The present device was tested under actual conditions with the resultthat a combine not using a recovery apparatus harvested two acres ofpeanuts and collected 4,790 pounds of which approximately 28 percentwereprime large kernels. Many peanuts were observed still on the ground,An adjacent two acres of peanuts having substantially the same growthcharacteristics then were harvested by the same combinebut using thepeanut recovery apparatus of the present invention. This time thecombine harvested 5,856 pounds of peanuts of which approximately 34percent were prime large kernels and substantially no peanuts wereobserved on the ground. The difference was 1,066 additional pounds ofpeanuts which were harvested by the combine using the peanut recoveryapparatus.

The peanuts harvested without the recovery apparatus were sold forapproximately $14.00 per hundred pounds or a total of approximately$670. Since the peanuts harvested with the recovery apparatus had alarger percentage of large kernels, the peanuts sold for approximately$14.25 per hundred pounds or a total of approximately $834. Thedifference of $164 represents an increase of approximately $82.00 peracre over what the farmer received for peanuts harvested without thepresent device.

It is an object of the invention to provide a loose peanut recoveryapparatus which will remove individual loose peanuts from the ground anddischarge such peanuts into a receptacle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a loose peanut recoveryapparatus having a sweep for removing individual peanuts from the groundand discharging such peanuts into buckets which raise such peanuts to ahigher elevation and discharge the peanuts into a receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a front perspective of oneside of a peanut combine illustrating a peanut recovery apparatusmounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective of a portion of the other side of thepeanut combine.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.-

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 5--5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a section on the line 7 --7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 8-8 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section on the line 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. I0 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 10-- 10 of FIG.1.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged section on the: line I1 11 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective of one of the collection buckets.

FIG. 13 is a section similar to FIG. 3 of a modified form of theinvention.

FIG. 14 is a section on the line 14--l4 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged section on the line IS15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 16-- 16 of FIG.14.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 17-- 17 of FIG.14.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With continued reference to thedrawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a peanut combine 20 of conventionalcharacter such as that in the aforementioned US. Pat. Nos. 2,974,467 and3,007,475 having a pickup mechanism 21 located at the forward end of abody 22 mounted on ground-engaging wheels 23. The body includes athreshing section having one or more cylinders for separating thepeanuts from the vines, as well as means for discharging the vines fromthe rear of the machine onto the ground and means for cleaning theseparated peanuts and discharging the same through an elevator 24 to ahopper 25 mounted on the body 22.

The combine may be pulled through the field by a propelling vehicle (notshown) or may be self-propelled. When the combine is pulled by apropelling vehicle, the power driven elements of the combine may beoperated from the power takeoff of the vehicle, or if desired suchelements could be driven by an independent power plant mounted on thecombine. Regardless of how the elements are driven, there is sufficientpower available to drive the elements of the combine at a desired orrequired speed. The structure thus far described is conventional andforms no part of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a peanut recovery apparatus is mounted on thecombine 20 rearwardly of the pickup mechanism 21 and forwardly of therear end of the body 22 so that the peanut vines will be'passing throughthe combine and will not be a hindrance in recovering loose peanutswhich were left on the ground. The peanut recovery apparatus is mountedon a frame 31 (FIGS. 1 and 8) forming part of the body 22 and the lowerportion of such frame has a pipe 32 fixed within the side walls of thelower frame as added support. A pair of levers 37 are welded orotherwise attached to the fixed pipe 32 at opposite sides of the frame31 for a purpose to be described later.

A sweep assembly 38 is provided and such sweep assembly includes ahousing having spaced generally parallel end walls or plates 39connected by upper and lower walls 40 and 41, respectively. A generallyarcuate partition 42 connects the upper and lower walls 40 and 41intermediate the length of the end walls 39. If desired, an arcuateextension 43 can be adjustably mounted on the partition 42 by means ofscrews or other fasteners 44. Each of the end walls 39 is provided witha pair of spaced generally parallel vertically disposed sleeves 45 andsuch sleeves slidably receive upstanding posts 46 welded or otherwisefixed to a skid or other ground-engaging support member 47 at each sideof the sweep assembly. Preferably the sleeves 45 are provided withmeans, such as set screws 48, for adjustably securing the posts 46 infixed position within the sleeves.

Each of the end walls 39 of the sweep assembly is provided with abearing 50 which rotatably receives a shaft 51 extending from end to endof the sweep assembly 38. Intermediate the end walls, the shaft 51 isprovided with a plurality of spring fingers or tines 52 each of which isof a length to extend below the lower surface of the end walls 36. Asillustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the central portion of the shaft 51 isgenerally square in cross-section and the spring fingers 52 are mountedon opposite sides of such shaft and extend in opposite directions. Ifdesired, additional fingers may be mounted on the other two sides of theshaft 51.

In order to mount the spring fingers 52 on the shaft, a housing 53 isprovided having a top wall 54 connected to side walls 55 and end walls56 and 57 within which a pair of fingers 52 are confined. As illustratedin FIG. 7, the housing 53 is disposed along one side of the shaft 51 andthe end wall 57 extends along another side of the shaft 51 to preventrotation of the housing 53 and the spring fingers 52. A bolt 58 extendsthrough the shaft 51 and through housings 53 on opposite sides thereofto secure housings on opposite sides of the shaft.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the upper ends of the pair of adjacent springfingers 52 are bent toward each other and are arranged in overlappingrelationship within the housing 53 and between the end wall 56 and thebolt 58. Such end wall and bolt prevent up-and-down movement of thefingers while the top wall 54 and shaft SI prevent rotation of suchfingers.

When the shaft 51 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as illustrated inFIG. 7, the outer free ends of the spring fingers 52 will pass in closeproximity to the arcuate partition 42 and the extension 43 of the sweepassembly.

In order to raise and lower the sweep assembly 38, upper and lowergenerally parallel links 60 and 61 are provided at each side of thesweep assembly. The upper link 60 is swingably connected by pivot pins62 at one end to the lever 37 and at the opposite end to the end wall 39of the sweep assembly. The lower link 61 is connected at one end to thelever 37 by a pivot pin 62 and the opposite end is welded or otherwiseattached to a bearing 63 which rotatably receives the reduced endportion of the shaft 51. A lift chain 64 is welded or otherwise attachedat one end to each of the end walls 39 of the sweep assembly. Theopposite end portion of each of the chains 64 is connected to a hook 65fixed to a lever 66 secured to opposite ends of a shaft 67. The shaft 67is rotatably mounted in bearings 68 carried by the frame 31. Asillustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, a lever 69 is fixed on the shaft 67 andsuch lever is connected by a pin 70 to the piston rod 71 of a fluidcylinder 72 by means of which the shaft 67 is rotated to raise and lowerthe sweep assembly.

With reference to FIG. 1, the fluid cylinder 72 is connected by fluidlines 73 to a distributor valve 74 supplied with fluid under pressurefrom an external source through fluid lines 75. An operating lever 76 ismounted on the valve 74 and such lever is adapted to be operated by acable 77 from a remote position, such as by the operator of thepropelling vehicle. As illustrated, the valve 74 may be operated in onedirection to raise and lower the sweep assembly and may be operated inanother direction to raise and lower the hopper 25. If desired, acounterbalance spring 78 may have one end received within an opening 79in the upper portion of each of the end walls 39 and the opposite endreceived within one of a plurality of openings 80 in the frame 31.

The shaft 51 which carried the spring fingers 52 is adapted to be drivenin any desired manner. However, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a drive pulley81 is mounted on a shaft 82 extending from the body 22. The shaft 82 isdriven either from the power takeoff of the propelling vehicle or froman independent power plant mounted on the combine 20. The pulley 81drives a belt 83 which extends over an adjustable idler 84 to a drivenpulley 85 mounted on a hub 86 of a spindle assembly 87. As illustratedin FIG. 8, the hub.86 is freely rotatably mounted on a spindle 88 weldedor otherwise attached to the frame 31 in such a manner that the axis ofthe spindle is generally in alignment with the axis of the pivot pin 62connecting the lower link 61 to the lever 37. A drive sprocket 89 isconnected to the hub 86 in a position to be driven by the pulley 85 andsuch drive sprocket is connected by a chain 90 to a sprocket 91 fixed tothe shaft 51 so that rotation of the sprocket 91 will rotate the springfingers 52. If desired, suitable clutches (not shown) can be providedfor disengaging a drive mechanism so that the shaft 51 will be rotatedonly when desired.

Spaced rearwardly from the sweep assembly 35, a peanut recovery unit 95is provided onto which peanuts lifted from the ground by the sweepassembly are discharged. The recovery unit includes a frame 96 connectedto and supported by the frame 31 and an endless conveyor 97 carried bythe frame 96. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pair of pillow blocksor bearings 98 are mounted at an upper corner of the frame 96 and suchpillow blocks support an elongated shaft 99 on which spaced drivesprockets 100 are mounted.

At other portions of the frame 96 a plurality of pairs of stub shaftmounting members 101 are mounted and each mounting member 101 is adaptedto support a stub shaft 102 which, in turn, supports idler sprockets103. The drive sprockets 100 engage and drive chains 104 forming aportion of the flexible endless conveyor 97 while the idler sprocketsI03 guide the conveyor around the frame 96. The endless conveyor 97includes a multiplicity of closely spaced rods 105 extending from onechain to the other and at spaced intervals along the conveyor arelocated a series of buckets or receptacles 106 which collect peanutsdischarged onto the endless conveyor, as will be described presently.Each of the buckets 106 normally is made of sheet material having aplurality of slots or openings 107 (FIG. 12) for the discharge of dirtand other foreign matter although, if desired, such buckets could bemade of a wire mesh or other material.

Across the lower portion of the frame 96, the conveyor 97 is supportedby a plurality of rollers 108 freely rotatably mounted on shafts 109carried by the frame 96. The rollers 108 normally engage and support therods 105 of the endless conveyor and insure that the lower run isgenerally parallel with the ground. The rods 105 are spaced apart adistance to prevent mature peanuts from falling between same, butpermitting dirt, small rocks and other foreign objects to be dischargedfrom the endless conveyor back to the ground. The striking of the rods105 against the rollers 108 vibrates the rods and shakes the peanuts todislodge dirt clinging thereto.

Across the lower part of the frame 96 and along the forward edge isprovided a shield 110 which extends upwardly over one side of theendless conveyor 97. At the rear of the frame 96, an upwardly extendingdeflector 111 is disposed above and at the other or rearward side of theendless conveyor 97. If desired, the upper portion of the deflector maybe supported by braces 112 connecting the deflector to the frame 31.Peanuts that are picked up from the ground by the sweep assembly 38 arethrown rearwardly by the spring fingers 52 over the top of the shield110 either onto the endless conveyor 97 or against the deflector 111from which they fall by gravity onto the endless conveyor.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 10, at one side of the frame 96, theendless conveyor 97 moves upwardly at an angle of approximately 45between two pairs of idler sprockets 103 so that the peanuts supportedby the rods 105 will gravitate downwardly into the buckets orreceptacles 106 which carry the peanuts upwardly to a higher elevation.In order to prevent grass, dirt, trash and debris thrown onto theconveyor by the sweep assembly from interfering with the operation ofthe idler sprockets 103 in this area, a baffle plate or shield 113 ismounted on each side of the conveyor 97 on the stub shafts 102 whichrotatably support the sprockets 103. The receptacles 106 will removemost of the foreign matter from this area and the remainder can becleaned out periodically.

The lower edges of the baffle plates 113 extend downwardly to a positionclosely adjacent to the conveyor 97 so that peanuts, weeds and trashcannot pass beneath the baffle plates and interfere with the operationof the sprockets 103 and chains 104. The movement of the endlessconveyor shakes the peanuts so that most of the dirt is removed from thepeanuts and such dirt and any small rocks are discharged between therods back to the ground. Preferably, a pair of side plates 114 areattached to the baffle plates 113 and extend upwardly to the upperportion of the frame 96. Such side plates provide a guide for the chains104 and prevent the conveyor 97 from hitting the side ofthe combine.

At the upper portion of the frame 96, a chute or hopper 115 connects theupper portion of the frame 96 with the body 22 of the combine preferablyin the area of the threshing cylinders so that peanuts which have beenpicked up from the ground will be discharged into the combine forfurther cleaning and processing.

Since the upper run of the endless conveyor is generally horizontal,peanuts ordinarily are discharged from the buckets 106 as the bucketspass around the upper idler sprockets 103. In order to receive suchpeanuts and move the same into the chute 115, an imperforate slide plate116 is mounted on the frame 96 and has a discharge end overlying theupper end of the chute 115. The opposite end of the slide plate 116extends outwardly to a position overlying the stub shafts 102 at theupper portion of the frame 96, as illustrated best in FIG. 10. When thepeanuts fall by gravity from the buckets 106, such peanuts will bedischarged onto the slide plate 116 and continued movement of thebuckets across the upper run of the conveyor will sweep the peanutsalong the slide plate until the peanuts are discharged from thedischarge end of such slide plate into the chute 115.

The endless conveyor 97 can be driven in any desired manner, however, asillustrated in FIG. 2, a drive pulley 120 is mounted on a shaft 121forming part of the drive mechanism for the elements of the combine suchas one of the threshing cylinders. The drive pulley 120 drives a belt122 over one or more adjustable idler pulleys 123 and then around adriven pulley 124 fixed to the upper elongated shafts 99 of the endlessconveyor. If desired, a selectively operable clutch (not shown) may beprovided for driving the endless conveyor only when desired.

As illustrated in FIGS. 13-17, a modified form of endless conveyor 125is provided having a pair of generally parallel chains 126 with spacedinwardly extending opposed lugs 127. The chains 126 are connectedtogether by buckets or receptacles 128 mounted on the opposed lugs 127.In this modification a platform 129 is provided constructed of closelyspaced generally laterally extending rods 130 mounted on a subframe 131by posts 132. The subframe 131 is connected by mounting springs 133 tothe frame 96 so that movement of the combine and the endless conveyor125 will vibrate the subframe 131 to cause dirt and foreign objectsthrown onto the platform 129 by the sweep assembly 38 to be dischargedback to the ground.

At one end of the platform 129 the rods 130 are bent upwardly at anangle of approximately 45 and terminate in generally vertically disposedend portions 134. Each of the buckets or receptacles 128 is providedwith a plurality of fingers 135 adapted to be received between the rods130 so that such fingers will sweep the peanuts supported between therods toward the inclined portion of such rods and cause the peanuts togravitate into the buckets at the inclined and vertical portions of theplatform. Peanuts are discharged from the buckets onto a slide plate 116 as previously described.

Although the peanut recovery apparatus 30 has been illustrated anddescribed as attached to a conventional peanut combine, it iscontemplated that such unit could be independently mounted on wheels orother support means and either pulled through the field or may beself-propelled. When the recovery apparatus is independently mounted, itcan be operated in conjunction with the peanut combine or separatelytherefrom as long as some means is provided to accommodate the vineseither before or during the recovery operation. Also, it is contemplatedthat the slide plate 116 could be replaced by an angularly disposedauxiliary chute (not shown) having one end disposed above the upperidler stub shafts 102 and the other end terminating at the chute 115 sothat peanuts discharged from the buckets 106 or 128 will slide bygravity down the auxiliary chute instead of being swept along the slideplate 116 by the buckets.

In the operation of the device, the sweep assembly 38 causes the springfingers 52 to rotate at a speed sufficient to sweep the ground withoutmissing any peanuts and sufficient to throw the peanuts from the sweepassembly to the peanut recovery unit. The spring fingers will engage andpenetrate the earth to a depth of approximately'l inch in ordinary casesand lift any mature loose peanuts which have fallen from the vines. Theloose peanuts will be carried upwardly around the curved partition 42 bythe spring fingers and will be thrown rearwardly from the sweep assemblyeither onto the endless conveyor 97 or against the deflector 111 fromwhich the peanuts will fall onto the endless conveyor. Simultaneouslythe endless conveyor 97 is moving in a direction normal to the directionof movement of the combine and carries the peanuts toward one side andup an incline where the peanuts will gravitate into the buckets 106 or128 and be carried upwardly along the frame 96. At the upper run of theconveyor the peanuts are discharged from the buckets onto a slide plate116 where they are moved by the buckets toward the central portion ofthe combine and discharged into the chute 115. From the chute thepeanuts fall by gravity into the combine and preferably into thethreshing section thereof so that the loose peanuts will be subsequentlycleaned and discharged into the hopper 25.

I claim:

1. In a peanut combine having a windrow pickup, separating means andvine discharging means, the improvement comprising a peanut recoveryapparatus for recovering loose peanuts from the ground after the vineshave been picked up by the combine, said recovery apparatus includingsweep means for engaging and lifting peanuts from the ground, a peanutrecovery unit for receiving peanuts from said sweep means, said recoveryunit including conveyor means having openings of a size to permit dirtto fall therethrough and to retain the peanuts on said conveyor means,said conveyor means having portions extending to an upper level, meansfor retaining the peanuts on said conveyor means as the conveyor meansmoves upwardly, and receiving means at the upper level into whichpeanuts are discharged from said conveyor means.

2. The invention of claim 1, in which the conveyor is inverted at saidupper level and thereby dumps the peanuts from the retaining means intothe receiving means.

3. The invention of claim 1, in which the sweep means comprises tinemeans that are mounted to sweep just beneath the surface of the groundin order to recover peanuts that are lodged at a shallow depth.

4. The invention of claim 1, in which the sweep means is mounted on thecombine rearwardly of the pickup and ahead of vines discharged from thecombine.

5. A peanut recovery apparatus mounted for movement through a peanutfield for recovering loose peanuts from the ground comprising a sweepassembly including substantially arcuate wall means having its lowerportion located adjacent to the ground and curving upwardly therefrom,said assembly having sweep means extending substantially laterally ofthe direction of movement through the field, said sweep means includingshaft means mounted in spaced relation to said wall means, tine meansmounted on said shaft means, means for rotating said shaft means so thatthe tine means lifts peanuts from the ground and moves the same upwardlyalong said wall means, and a peanut recovery unit having portionslocated adjacent to said sweep means, said recovery unit includingconveyor means having peanut holding means mounted on said frame, saidconveyor means mounted for movement substantially transverse to theintended direction of movement through the field and having an elevatingportion to raise said recovered peanuts to a higher elevation fordischarge.

6. The structure of claim including means associated with said peanutrecovery unit for causing peanuts discharged from said sweep assembly tobe deposited on said conveyor means.

7. The structure of claim 5 in which conveyor means has openings of asize to permit dirt to fall therethrough but to retain the peanutsthereon.

8. The structure of claim 5 in which said peanut holding means includesa plurality of spaced receptacles mounted along said conveyor means.

9. The structure of claim 5 in which said tine means includes aplurality of removably mounted spring fingers.

10. The structure of claim 5 including ground-engaging means forsupporting said sweep assembly, and means for selectively raising saidsweep assembly out ofengagement with the ground.

11. The structure of claim 5 in which said conveyor means includes apair of generally parallel chains, a plurality of closely spaced rodsconnecting said chains, said rods being spaced apart a distancesufficient to retain mature peanuts while permitting dirt and smallobjects to fall therethrough.

12. The structure of claim 5 in which said conveyor means includes anendless conveyor having upper and lower runs, said lower run locatedadjacent to said sweep assembly, and chute means associated with saidupper run and located in a position to receive peanuts discharged fromsaid peanut holding means.

13. The structure of claim 5 in which said conveyor means includes apair of generally parallel endless chains having upper and lower runs, asub-frame located between the lower runs of said chains, said sub-frameincluding a multiplicity of close] s aced ro ds disposed along thedirectionpf movement of sai c ains, said peanut holding means includinga plurality of spaced receptacles connecting said pair of chains, andmeans for causing peanuts on said sub-frame to be collected within saidreceptacles.

14. A peanut recovery apparatus for recovering loose peanuts from theground comprising a sweep assembly including end plates connected by anarcuate partition, a shaft connecting said end plates, a plurality ofspring fingers mounted on said shaft and being of a length to extendbeyond the lower surface of said end plates and into engagement with theground, means for rotating said shaft so that the spring fingers willlift loose peanuts from the ground and raise the same past said arcuatepartition, a peanut recovery unit having portions located adjacent tosaid sweep assembly, said recovery unit including a frame, a flexibleendless conveyor carried by said frame, a plurality of spaced generallyparallel buckets mounted on said conveyor, said conveyor adapted toreceive loose peanuts from said sweep assembly, means for transferringpeanuts from said conveyor to said buckets, said endless conveyoradapted to raise said buckets to a higher'elevation and discharge thepeanuts therefrom, chute means connecting said frame to peanut receivingmeans, means for moving the peanuts discharged from said buckets intosaid chute means, and means for driving said endless conveyor, wherebyloose peanuts will be picked up from the ground by said sweep assemblyand transferred to said conveyor where the peanuts will be collected inbuckets, raised to a higher elevation, and subsequently discharged intosaid peanut receiving means.

l i t l i P'o-wso Dated y 25, 1972 Patent Non ,667

William R. Long mventofls) It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and time said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown be low:

Column 8 Line 52, add the foliowzlng' claim 15. The structure of Clawsii including means for vibrating the "rods slung certain port-isms ofvsaid csnveyor means to disiodge dirt clinging t0 the eanuts Signed andsealed this 29th day of May 1973i (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents

1. In a peanut combine having a windrow pickup, separating means andvine discharging means, the improvement comprising a peanut recoveryapparatus for recovering loose peanuts from the ground after the vineshave been picked up by the combine, said recovery apparatus includingsweep means for engaging and lifting peanuts from the ground, a peanutrecovery unit for receiving peanuts from said sweep means, said recoveryunit including conveyor means having openings of a size to permit dirtto fall therethrough and to retain the peanuts on said conveyor means,said conveyor means having portions extending to an upper level, meansfor retaining the peanuts on said conveyor means as the conveyor meansmoves upwardly, and receiving means at the upper level into whichpeanuts are discharged from said conveyor means.
 2. The invention ofclaim 1, in which the conveyor is inverted at said upper level andthereby dumps the peanuts from the retaining means into the receivingmeans.
 3. The invention of claim 1, in which the sweep means comprisestine means that are mounted to sweep just beneath the surface of theground in order to recover peanuts that are lodged at a shallow depth.4. The invention of claim 1, in which the sweep means is mounted on thecombine rearwardly of the pickup and ahead of vines discharged from thecombine.
 5. A peanut recovery apparatus mounted for movement through apeanut field for recovering loose peanuts from the ground comprising asweep assembly including substantially arcuate wall means having itslower portion located adjacent to the ground and curving upwardlytherefrom, said assembly having sweep means extending substantiallylaterally of the direction of movement through the field, said sweepmeans including shaft means mounted in spaced relation to said wallmeans, tine means mounted on said shaft means, means for rotating saidshaft means so that the tine means lifts peanuts from the ground andmoves the same upwardly along said wall means, and a peanut recoveryunit having portions located adjacent to said sweep means, said recoveryunit including conveyor means haviNg peanut holding means mounted onsaid frame, said conveyor means mounted for movement substantiallytransverse to the intended direction of movement through the field andhaving an elevating portion to raise said recovered peanuts to a higherelevation for discharge.
 6. The structure of claim 5 including meansassociated with said peanut recovery unit for causing peanuts dischargedfrom said sweep assembly to be deposited on said conveyor means.
 7. Thestructure of claim 5 in which conveyor means has openings of a size topermit dirt to fall therethrough but to retain the peanuts thereon. 8.The structure of claim 5 in which said peanut holding means includes aplurality of spaced receptacles mounted along said conveyor means. 9.The structure of claim 5 in which said tine means includes a pluralityof removably mounted spring fingers.
 10. The structure of claim 5including ground-engaging means for supporting said sweep assembly andmeans for selectively raising said sweep assembly out of engagement withthe ground.
 11. The structure of claim 5 in which said conveyor meansincludes a pair of generally parallel chains, a plurality of closelyspaced rods connecting said chains, said rods being spaced apart adistance sufficient to retain mature peanuts while permitting dirt andsmall objects to fall therethrough.
 12. The structure of claim 5 inwhich said conveyor means includes an endless conveyor having upper andlower runs, said lower run located adjacent to said sweep assembly, andchute means associated with said upper run and located in a position toreceive peanuts discharged from said peanut holding means.
 13. Thestructure of claim 5 in which said conveyor means includes a pair ofgenerally parallel endless chains having upper and lower runs, asub-frame located between the lower runs of said chains, said sub-frameincluding a multiplicity of closely spaced rods disposed along thedirection of movement of said chains, said peanut holding meansincluding a plurality of spaced receptacles connecting said pair ofchains, and means for causing peanuts on said sub-frame to be collectedwithin said receptacles.
 14. A peanut recovery apparatus for recoveringloose peanuts from the ground comprising a sweep assembly including endplates connected by an arcuate partition, a shaft connecting said endplates, a plurality of spring fingers mounted on said shaft and being ofa length to extend beyond the lower surface of said end plates and intoengagement with the ground, means for rotating said shaft so that thespring fingers will lift loose peanuts from the ground and raise thesame past said arcuate partition, a peanut recovery unit having portionslocated adjacent to said sweep assembly, said recovery unit including aframe, a flexible endless conveyor carried by said frame, a plurality ofspaced generally parallel buckets mounted on said conveyor, saidconveyor adapted to receive loose peanuts from said sweep assembly,means for transferring peanuts from said conveyor to said buckets, saidendless conveyor adapted to raise said buckets to a higher elevation anddischarge the peanuts therefrom, chute means connecting said frame topeanut receiving means, means for moving the peanuts discharged fromsaid buckets into said chute means, and means for driving said endlessconveyor, whereby loose peanuts will be picked up from the ground bysaid sweep assembly and transferred to said conveyor where the peanutswill be collected in buckets, raised to a higher elevation, andsubsequently discharged into said peanut receiving means.